The present invention relates to a water filtration vessel. More particularly the present invention relates to a water filtration vessel incorporating a dispenser for a comestible additive.
Public perception of the poor quality and taste of regular tap water has led to the development and sale of a number of products addressing these problems. Particular problems in tap water include the taste and smell of chlorine, water hardness due to calcium carbonate and the presence of dirt or other particulate matter. Products designed to deal with this problem include bottled or mineral waters and various water-filtration devices. Bottled water is typically both chlorine-free and mineral-enriched, but it is relatively expensive in comparison to filtered tap water. Filtered tap water provides an inexpensive route to obtaining particulate- and chlorine-free water. Most home water-filtration systems use a filter-cartridge containing either activated carbon or a combination of activated carbon and an ion-exchange resin. The activated carbon serves to filter out dirt and other impurities, while eliminating most of the chlorine present in the water. The ion-exchange resin removes positive ions such as calcium, thereby softening the water. A negative side-effect of the above-mentioned systems is that various other healthy minerals are removed by the ion-exchange resin. An alternative method of water purification is reverse osmosis, but products using this technology are not widely utilized by household consumers.
Home water-filtration systems thus consist primarily of activated carbon based filters, and these are available in two configurations: a) in-line filters where the intake of the filter system is connected to a household water pipe or faucet, and b) fillable water filters such as jug-filters where a reservoir at the top of the filter is filled manually by the user, where the water then percolates through a filter-cartridge to the lower reservoir. In both of the above configurations, the water issued at the outlet of the filter is typically poorer in mineral content (or, at best, has the same mineral content) than the tap water at the intake.
The issue of enhancement of the quality of the issued water from a mineral/supplement viewpoint has been addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,114 by Michaels et. al., which describes the use of dolomite mixed with the activated carbon in the filter cartridge so as to achieve two objectives: preventing the growth of harmful bacteria, and adding both magnesium and calcium as dietary supplements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,973 by Nohren describes the use of two cartridges placed in series, where the former serves to purify the water using activated carbon and the like, and a subsequent cartridge leaches minerals, flavorings or vitamin supplements into the water as it percolates through this subsequent cartridge on its way to the outlet.
Both of the above patents are disadvantageous in that they depend, for their effective operation, on the solubilization of the minerals and supplements in the water as it percolates through the filtration system. This solubility depends in turn on the flow-rate and temperature of the water percolating through the above-mentioned cartridges, in addition to the arrangement of media in the cartridge itself. Thus, while using such a system, it is difficult to control the quantity and composition of the minerals or supplements that are being added. Additionally, many useful health supplements are not rapidly dissolved in water, so the upper limits of supplement addition are rapidly encountered using such an approach.
The practice of intaking diet supplements has become wide-spread around the world, however some people take high doses of vitamins without consulting a doctor or a professional nutritionist. The result of overconsumption of diet supplements has recently been linked to various health problems. For example, beta-carotene was, and probably still is, consumed in excess by some smokers who believe that this vitamin provides protection against cancer. Certain elements, such as calcium, iron, zinc and selenium are known to be beneficial in small doses, but when consumed in excess may cause additional health problems. For example excessive consumption of zinc causes gastrointestinal irritation and impaired immune function.
It is therefore the intention of the present inventors to obviate the shortcomings of the above-mentioned solutions by providing a water filtration vessel which provides a controlled quantity of desirable supplements and is thus likely to discourage excessive consumption of minerals and vitamins.